Banana and the Bubble

In this episode, we look at the writers behind two of Japan's greatest movie monsters—Godzilla and Mothra.We'll start out by looking at Godzilla—its context, author, and story—before we turn to Mothra. We'll close with a reflection on why the stories behind the movies are importa ...  Show more

In this episode, we take a look at the Japanese cell phone novel and the classic story of Train Man.We’re going to start today by explaining the Japanese cell phone novel, including some relevant background like the history of serialized publishing in Japan and the rise of Japane ...  Show more

Happy Pride! This episode is a combination of three past episodes featuring the invulnerable and AFAB hero, Caeneus. Featuring this conversation with Stephanie McCarter, translator of Ovid's Metamorphoses, this episode from 2023, and this conversation with Joe Watson, author of t ...  Show more

First of a double podcast episode about the South Korean movements of 1987 which overthrew the US-backed military dictatorship and won big improvements for workers. In these episodes we speak with Kim Jin-sook and Hong Seung Ha about their experiences of the June Democratic Strug ...  Show more

DISCLAIMER: SPENCER LIKED DEADPOOL. HE LIKED IT A LOT. On today's episode of Anime Binge Club, we look at the fascinating world of anime tropes and storytelling with Neon Genesis Evangelion episode 10. Spencer and Kevin discuss the intricate plot points and character developments ...  Show more

Alisa Freedman's book Japan on American TV: Screaming Samurai Join Anime Clubs in the Land of the Lost (Association for Asian Studies, 2021) explores political, economic, and cultural issues underlying depictions of Japan on U.S. television comedies and the programs they inspired ...  Show more